Game apparatus.



W. H. CLAUSEN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPucATmN HLED MAR. 16I 1915.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. H. CLAUSEN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 16,1915.

1 ,1 6 1 ,8%6 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM H. CLAUSEN, OF MEI'ROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME APPARAT'US.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application flled March 16, 1915. Serial No. 14,743.

To all 'whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. CLAUsnN,

of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification.

. My invention is intended to provide a table apparatus for the playing of a game in which the moves of a game of baseball are imitated.

It will be understood by reference to the drawings in which the apparatus for playing the 'game is shown in its preferred and most elaborate form, although certain of the details of construction may be omitted if a less elaborate form of apparatus is desired, score cards being substituted therefor.

Figure 1 is a plan view of such preferred form of board on which the game is played. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the ball with which the game is played.

A is the board proper which is preferably square in shape, though its shape is immaterial. It has about it a rim a.

B is the diamond on and about which the game is played and which comprises a central portion b preferably square. From this square arises sloping walls bl which as shown arise slightly above the general level of the board. At each corner of the diamond, as I call the whole part B, are arranged squares 1, 2, 3 and 4, which represent the four bases and at 5 and 6 are arranged squares on which each side may stack counters to represent the number of outs and runs in an inning. At 881-009 are a series of squares to represent innings, within which squares the runs of one side may be counted by counters, and on the opposite side of the board are corresponding squares 7,11-3/9 in which the runs of the other side may be counted by counters,tmaking the total score by innings of the game.

The board is slotted as at C and D, and within each slot is mounted a rod c and d on which slide counters (11 and dl, these counters being preferably five in number and on these are counted the balls and Strikes.

The game is played by means of a polyi hedronal ball E `(see Fig. 3) on the various faces of which are marked characters to indicate the plays. These faces are some of them e hexagonal and some of them el pentagonal, each having its own value in connection with the character placed upon it. In Fig. 1 one side of the ball is shown and in Fig. 3 the opposite side of the ball is shown. Preferably the ball has thirty-two faces of which twenty are hexagons and twelve are pentagons.l /l/ In playing the game the ball is allowed to roll down one of the sloping faces of the diamond, and by reason of its size and the impetus which it gets it perhaps rises a little on the opposite side, but gradually settles down Somewhere upon the fiat portion b of the diamond, and the play is read from the top face of the ball. For example, in Fig. 1 the play is B in a hexagon, this standing for one ball. In Fig. 3 the character S being the top character and the face being hexagon, thescore is a strike.

Various faces on the ball preferably count as follows: F in a hexagon is foul; F in a pentagon, preferably with a cirele around it, means foul out, H in either a hexagon or a pentagon is a hit out; S, whether in a hexagon or pentagon is a strike; and similarly B is a ball. The character 1 means a one base hit; 2 a two base hit; 8'` a three base hit; and R a home run. t

In' playing the game colored counters or chips may be conveniently used, the red counters indicating the players and runs of i one side, the blue counters the players and runs of the other side, and white counters to indicate the outs. The general rules of playing the game of baseball are observed so far as they apply.

In practice, one player sits opposite the other with the board turned so that the squares cel-m9 and y1- y9 are each in front of a player, the counters 01 and dl being on the sides of the board. The counters 01 and dl are used to count both Strikes and balls as will be desc'ribed.

The player sitting with the squares lin front of him has his innings first, and having say the red side, places'a red counter on the square marked 4. The other player Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

sitting opposite him rolls the ball down either sloping face of the diamond and if it turns up as shown in Fig. 1 with B on its upper face, player having his mnings pushes up one of the counters cl on the rod o. His opponent thereupon rolls the ball a second time and if it turns up as in Fig. 8, S, this being a strike and to the advantage of the man Who 1s pitching, the pitcher pushes up one of the counters dl. The pitcher then rolls the ball again, and perhaps a number 3 turns up.

he one having his innings moves his counter from the home base 4 around to base 3 and places another counter on 4 to represent the next Striker. The ball then rolled by the pitcher perhaps turns up at R and the Striker makes a home run, moving his man from 4 around the four bases and driving in the man already on 3. This gives him two runs for which he places counters in the compartment 5. He places another counter on 4 to represent the next Striker and the ball is rolled turning up at H representing a hit out and a white counter is put in the compartment 6. This being perhaps repeated twice more and three players being out, the side is out, whereupon he takes the ball and becomes pitcher and his opponent, the former pitcher, puts up a blue counter on square 2 to represent the striker and the new pitcher rolls the ball to determine what the next move Will be. The counters in 5 representing the runs of the innings are moved to the compartment :121, etc. representing the score.

V ariations of and additions to may be conveniently made. For example, by the use of the hexagon and pentagon faces cl of the ball E the successful or unsuccessful stealing of a base may be indicated, the player whose innings it is notifying that he intends to steal a base by perhaps placing a second counter on top of the counter which is already on one of the three bases or in some other way. In such case, if a hexagon comes up for example with the letter H on it, the man who steals may be moved to the next base, this representing a sacrifice hit. On the other hand, -if the H on av pentagon turns up after this notice to steal, the man stealing is out as well as the Striker, this being a double play. Vhere the letter S in a pentagon turns up, the man who is to steal is out, the strike having presumably having been caught by the catcher, and the ball being thrown to the base which the. runner is trying to steal. If a B in a pentagon turns up it indicates that the man stealing is safe at his next base. F on a pentagon indicates that the foul is out. In each case the counters are moved as the play requires.

These various suggestions indicate how the game that counts one ball, and the` this apparatus may be used and, While they haveI been satisfactorily worked out, are merely suggestions which may be varied to suit the desire of the players. The whole,

however, affords an amusing reproduction of the moves of a baseball game with all the elements -which such a game affords, and the cssentials are the diamond preferably with its sloping sides and means, preferably a ball like that shown, whereby the necessary moves may be indicated.

I have called the part B the diamond using the ordinary language of baseball, but its outline is immaterial. The flat portion serves as the final resting place of the ball and the sloping sides as an incline down which the ball rolls. It is best angular in outline as the angles of the sloping sides to each other may be used to vary the paths of the ball which sometimes will cross the flat portion and run up the opposite slope and fall back again into the flat portion.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:-

1. A game apparatus comprising a diamond having a flat portion and sloping sides surrounding said flat portion, and a polyhedron ball having symbols on its faces.

2. A baseball game apparatus comprising a board having a diamond shaped recess provided with sloping sides and stations indicating the bases, and a polyhedronal ball having symbols on its faces indicating various plays of a baseball game.

3. baseball game apparatus comprising a board having a diamond shaped recess provided with sloping sides and stations indicating the bases, in combination with means to indieate the various plays of a baseball game. g

AL. A baseball game apparatus comprising a board having thereon a baseball diamond provided with sloping sidcs, stations indicating bases, one located at each corner of the diamond, and separate means for scoring balls and Strikes, said means comprising rods suitably mounted and counters slidably mounted thereon. and a polyhedronal ball having symbols thereon indicating the various plays.

5. A baseball game apparatus comprising a board having thereon a baseball diamond shaped recess/,provided with sloping sides, stations indicating bases, one located at each corner of the diamond, separate means for scoring balls and Strikes, and a polyhedronal ball having symbols thereon indicating the various plays, some of said faces being pentagonal and some of said faces being hexagonal. e

6. A game apparatus comprising a diamond having a flat portion and sloping sides, and a polyhedronal ball having symbols on its faces, its faces being of various shapes.

5 bases, two rods,

7. A baseball game apparatus comprising a board having a diamond shaped recess with sloping sides located thereon, stations at the Corners of said diamond indicating counters slidably mounted thereon to indicate Strikes and balls, and means whereby runs and outs in each inning may be separately scored, in combination with a polyhedronal ball, the faces thereof being of different shapes, said faces bearing symbols representing the various plays of the game.

WILLIAM H. CLAUSEN. 

